What is "Women's work" and why is it paid so little?

For the past year, my Twitter feed has been littered with news of women’s accomplishments in STEM fields and programs encouraging women to pursue higher paying careers that have historically been male dominated. This coverage led me to believe that women were, overall, making more money and that perhaps the wage gap had shrunk.

Even when men and women work the same low-wage jobs, the income gap is significant. (According to Narrow the Gapp, women janitors earn 78 cents of every dollar male janitors earn and women housekeepers earn 86 cents of every dollar male housekeepers earn).

Women in low-income jobs tend to be of color or immigrants, and 12.3% of them use wages to be the sole provider for their families, where as men in low income jobs are only half as likely to be a single parent. By 2024, low-wage women’s jobs will increase at one and a half times the rate of all other jobs and one in six of all jobs will be in low-wage women’s work. So, how do we ensure that wages are fair in this growing segment of jobs?

As inspiring as it is to read about the latest woman-founded start up, we need to remember that there is still a lot of work to be done. By being an advocate for those of all education levels and pushing for policy change, we can increase the financial state of all women—not just the ones on our Twitter feed.

Aditi is a Brooklyn-based writer whose goals are to eliminate mansplainers along with the top sheet. As an editor at Mommy Nearest, she helps millennial moms navigate their newfound parenthood by directing them to the best kid-friendly parks, museums and, sometimes, happy hours. You can follow her on Twitter @Aditi_Shrikant or Instagram @ashrikant.